Thousands of passengers wandering in France airports following national worker’s strike

Hundreds of flights have been announced cancelled following all-out strikes across the airports of France.

Thousands of passengers were notified about cancellation of their flights by the French air traffic control strikes. The strike started from early hours of Monday and will continue till Wednesday.

Labour reform policies of President Emmanuel Macron is the mainreason a national strike which has also been followed by air-traffic controllers’ unions. Ryanair has cancelled over 220 flights, affecting about 40,000 passengers. While the cancellations are across western Europe, UK airports are particularly badly affected. Dozens of links from Stansted, Luton, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh to France and Spain have been axed.

Unfortunately, further flight delays and cancellations are likely and customers are asked to please monitor this notice which will be updated throughout the day. Ryanair sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused by these unjustified ATC disruptions which are entirely outside of our control.

Its rival, easyJet, said: “As a large percentage of easyJet’s flights fly over France, this will have an impact on our flights to and from French airports, as well as those flying over French airspace.

“The strike is also expected to impact many public services in France, including public transport. We advise all passengers to allow plenty of extra time to get to the airport and consider alternative transport options where possible.”

British Airways has grounded its Monday evening departures from Heathrow to Marseille, Paris Orly and Toulouse, as well as Basel — which serves a Swiss city but is in French territory.

Many more cancellations are expected on Tuesday, including to cities in countries such as Spain and Italy, which normally fly over French airspace.

Passengers whose flights are disrupted are not entitled to cash compensation, but airlines have a duty of care towards them — providing meals and accommodation until they can reach their destination. If airlines are not able to offer an alternative departure within a reasonable time, typically two days, they must pay for flights on other carriers.

Few months after getting elected as the new French president, Emmanuel Macron has been criticized harshly over loads of new polices. the new strikes have been followed by numerous other Labour communities like Hospitals, trains, schools, and police forces.